Futurist Forum: (Re)Building Regenerative Cities

Common relationships with post-industrial architecture in enclosed, constructed surroundings often induce misleading beliefs that our species is not interconnected with nature and the planetary ecosystem as a whole.

These perceptions subsequently breed social behavior that condition humans to partake in harmful habits of waste; producing undesirable, long term consequences such as climate change, species extinction, our ecological crisis and more.

In the wake of recent "natural" disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, forest fires) along with the refugee crisis, it's essential for us to think about designing and (re)building resilient and regenerative cities to mitigate future risks and preserve our precious planet, as well as sustainably develop underutilized spaces to provide shelter and an abundant life for all.

At Peace Accelerator’s Futurist Forum #3, we will discuss how to adapt to the changing climate, (re)build regenerative cities and foster resilient communities that meet the pressing needs of our times. Let's collectively build a future we all want to live in.

We look forward to discussing how we can create environments where humans can thrive rather than live to merely survive.

About the Panelists:Henry Gordon-Smith: Henry is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Canada, Spain, Austria, and the United States. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, a certificate in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. Henry is Founder of the popular blog Agritecture.com and a Co-Founder of the Association for Vertical Farming. Three years ago, Henry launched his company Agritecture Consulting (formerly Blue Planet), a boutique urban agriculture advising firm where he helps entrepreneurs with vertical farming feasibility studies, recruiting, and systems design.

Ashley Brooke Taylor: Ashley is a cultural activist and programming student focusing on how digital technology can support the social justice, cooperative economies, and impact community. In the past she has worked as a community product manager for the Brooklyn Microgrid, a platform for sharing local solar energy using blockchain technology. She was the first employee of a blockchain incubator ConsenSys where she laid out the necessary standards to design and implement a blockchain system with a community. She is also a yoga therapy teacher, a natural fabric dyer, harp player, and Farsi student.

Timothy Alexander Phillips: Timothy received his masters degree and later lecture at Yale University School of Architecture. He worked as a lead design architect specializing in university and hospital projects before moving to NYC to launch a sustainable real estate development firm. In 2015 he left real estate to focus on his passion for community-building by co-founding Lightning Society. Before long his worlds collided when he built LS1, The Lightning Society Lofts: a collaborative living project designed to rewrite the narrative for how humanity can live in the urban environment.

Live music by Benny Oyama + special guests: Benny Oyama is a singer, guitarist, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist and troubadour from New York City and based in the vibrant Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. His unique blend of Brazilian, jazz, and rock-inflected music emerges from being present to what is presented in his experience - surprising cultural pathways, the wonders of nature, the trauma of the past, and the complexity of meeting the world with mixed identities - all infused with rich melodies, harmony and rhythm.

Powered by Peace Accelerators: The Peace Accelerators are people across the world working to unite the Earth and accelerate the path to peace. The Peace Accelerators uses the Earth flag as its symbol — a new and needed symbol that "reminds the people of Earth that we share this planet, no matter of national boundaries. That we should take care of each other and the planet we live on." Peace Accelerators (PA) is designed to use data, science, statistics and evidence-based logic to influence and educate citizens across the globe that planetary peace is not only possible — but that it is our smartest, most rational choice for our species if we want to mitigate the worst potential consequences of our current ecological crisis.